Over the years, the best Jamie Lee Curtis movies have seen the Academy Award-winning actress give audiences unforgettable performances in all-time great action movies, heartwarming coming-of-age dramas, and even iconic Studio Ghibli films. During that time, she’s established a reputation as one of cinema’s all-time great scream queens and one of the hardest-working people in Hollywood. From the long-running Halloween franchise to ferocious whodunits like Knives Out, and even mind-bending kung-fu movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once, she’s done it all.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is that the list of the best Jamie Lee Curtis movies is something that other actors and actresses strive for; it’s that great and full of heavy-hitters. And since now seems like as good a time as any to break down Curtis’ most iconic performances, let’s get this show on the road…
From Up On Poppy Hill (2011)
Directed by Gorō Miyazaki, the son of famed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, From Up on Poppy Hill is one of the best Studio Ghibli films despite not having the recognizability of staples like My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Set in 1960s Japan, the film follows a group of high school students in their attempt to save their school’s clubhouse from being destroyed to make room for the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Jamie Lee Curtis joined the cast as Ryoko Matsuzaki, the mother of the film’s young protagonist, when From Up on Poppy Hill was released in the United States with an English dub in 2013. Just like her live-action performances, Curtis brought so much out with the performance and added a great sense of heart and humor to the decorated role.
Stream From Up on Poppy Hill on Max.
Rent/Buy From Up on Poppy Hill on Amazon.
Buy it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Haunted Mansion (2023)
One of the best new family movies to stream right now, Haunted Mansion, brought the iconic Disney ride to life in spectacular fashion in 2023 with a story that went well beyond simply adapting an attraction into a feature film. With a surprisingly emotional and thoughtful story that touched on loss, grief, the enduring human spirit, and the way in which love shapes our lives, this star-studded film had a little something for everyone, including spooky and kooky scenes.
So, where does Jamie Lee Curtis fit in? Well, she takes on the role of Madame Leota, a once-successful medium who becomes trapped in her crystal ball after a series of seances awoke an evil spirit who preyed upon people’s grief. Curtis kills it with her performance and is one of the bright spots of the film, which is saying something.
Stream Haunted Mansion on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Haunted Mansion on Amazon.
Buy it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Spare Parts (2015)
If you’re looking for an uplifting drama then Spare Parts is going to be something to check out. Based on the true story of a group of high school students who defied the odds and defeated M.I.T. in a robotics competition, this 2015 film stars George Lopez as a down-on-his-luck educator who takes on a substitute teaching position and ends up leading a class of undervalued and misunderstood students to reach their true potential in the world of robotics.
Jamie Lee Curtis appears in the film as Principal Karen Lowry, a school administrator who takes a chance on the teacher. Though she’s not the main attraction, Curtis’ performance adds so much to the overall story and is impactful nonetheless.
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Buy it on DVD on Amazon.
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Just as essentially every aspect of life is crumbling away — a failing marriage, a broken mother-daughter relationship, tax issues — Chinese immigrant Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) finds her situation becoming more out of hand upon realizing she is the key to preventing an evil and powerful force from destroying the multiverse.
There is plenty to love about the Daniels’ 2022 mind-bending kung-fu movie, Everything Everywhere All At Once, from its meticulously-choreographed fight scenes to its surprisingly emotional story and so forth. But one of the best things about this Best Picture winner is the performance by Jamie Lee Curtis as Deidre Beaubeirdre, who is wrapped up in just about every aspect of Evelyn’s life in multiple dimensions. It’s no wonder she earned an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her transformative performance.
Stream Everything Everywhere All At Once on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Everything Everywhere All At Once on Amazon.
Get It on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Daddy And Them (2001)
In 2001, Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed and starred in Daddy and Them, a dramedy about a struggling married couple (played by Thornton and Laura Dern) who have to get through their own insecurities and jealousies to help an uncle who has been charged with attempted murder while also making sense of their large southern family.
Tucked in the middle of Daddy and Them are two of the least seen yet most hilarious characters in the entire movie — Elaine (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Lawrence Bowen, attorneys at law. Though only in the movie for a cup of coffee, these two steal the show with their constant bickering, badgering, and one-upmanship as they discuss the legal case. Curtis, in particular, is outstanding and gives one of her most over-the-top performances. No surprise the actress used Elaine Bowen as her reference for Deidre in Everything Everywhere All At Once, as she revealed on Instagram.
Rent/Buy Daddy and Them on Amazon.
Get it on DVD on Amazon.
Halloween (1978)
Upon escaping a sanitarium years after viciously murdering his sister, Michael Myers (Nick Castle) returns to his childhood home of Haddonfield, Illinois, and proceeds to go on a murderous rampage throughout the quiet and idyllic town.
Jamie Lee Curtis burst onto the scene with her commanding portrayal of Laurie Strode in John Carpenter’s landmark 1978 horror film Halloween. The way Curtis’ character goes from a young high school student to one of the strongest female characters in the history of horror is absolutely astonishing and instantly turned her into one of the most interesting actresses around. It’s no surprise some think she’s the greatest horror character ever.
Rent/Buy Halloween on Amazon.
Get it on DVD on Amazon.
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
When a big-time heist goes south leaving them with the short end of the stick, would-be criminals Wanda Gerschwitz (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Otto West (Kevin Kline) set off to find the men responsible for the job-gone-wrong and find the missing diamonds that were supposed to bring fortune their way.
Charles Crichton’s 1988 crime comedy, A Fished Called Wanda (which he co-wrote alongside John Cleese), features one of the most hilarious and complex characters Jamie Lee Curtis has ever played, and even though Wanda is an undeniably bad person, you can’t help root for her because of that charm. Wait, did I get grifted here?
Rent/Buy A Fish Called Wanda on Amazon.
Buy it on DVD on Amazon.
Knives Out (2019)
When best-selling crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (the late Christopher Plummer) dies under mysterious circumstances, eccentric private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is called to the writer’s massive estate to get to the bottom of the crime, even if one of the deceased’s loved ones is responsible.
Rian Johnson’s 2019 whodunit, Knives Out, quickly earned a spot on the list of best murder mysteries upon release, and a lot of that is due to the amazing performances by the ensemble cast. That includes Jamie Lee Curtis and her take on Linda Drysdale, the dead writer’s oldest child, and the way she can jump from a sensible person to maniacal egotist in the same breath. Though filming the movie was a tough experience for Curtis, you can’t tell by her masterful performance.
Rent/Buy Knives Out on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Trading Places (1983)
Wall Street executive Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and street hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) find themselves in the center of a sinister plan being carried out by a pair of greedy and ruthless brothers. Upon uncovering the nefarious plan, the unlikely friends team up for some old-fashion revenge.
John Landis’ beloved 1983 classic, Trading Places, was the first major non-horror release of Jamie Lee Curtis’ film career, and the prolific scream queen did not disappoint. The way she jumps into the role of street-smart sex worker Ophelia is to die for, and really helped open the door for other comedies that came in the years following.
Rent/Buy Trading Places on Amazon.
Get it on DVD on Amazon.
My Girl (1991)
Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky, in a performance she doesn’t like discussing), the daughter of a widower funeral home director, experiences perhaps the most consequential summer of her young life as she enters her pre-teen years with all its pain, loss, and confusion.
With his 1991 coming-of-age drama, My Girl, Howard Zieff definitely made Vada the heart and center of the film’s emotional and sentimental movie, but this isn’t to take away from the supporting cast, which includes Jamie Lee Curtis as Shelly DeVoto, the funeral home’s new makeup artist and the love interest of Harry Sultenfuss (Dan Aykroyd). Shelly is perhaps the character that has the most impact on Vada over the course of the summer and it’s made all the more believable thanks to Curtis’ brilliant portrayal of a woman not afraid of change and a little heartache in this film that’s impossible to watch without crying.
Rent/Buy My Girl on Amazon.
Get it on DVD on Amazon.
True Lies (1994)
Omega Sector counterterrorism agent Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is one of the world’s most resourceful and successful spies, but to his family he’s nothing more than a mild-mannered computer salesman. When a terrorist gets his hands on a nuclear device and threatens the world, Harry’s professional and personal lives become intertwined, creating a rather complicated mess.
What really sells the double-life of Harry Tasker in James Cameron’s 1994 action-comedy, True Lies, is the performance by Jamie Lee Curtis as his wife Helen, who seems to have no clue her husband is a prolific spy capable of just about everything. The film’s major subplot (Helen gets caught up in the game of a supposed spy played by the late Bill Paxton) really gives Curtis a chance to use her comedic chops even though Schwarzenegger initially had reservations about giving her the part.
Stream True Lies on Hulu.
Get it on DVD on Amazon.
The Fog (1980)
Just as the coastal town of Antonio Bay, California, is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary, the community becomes enveloped by a mysterious fog that brings with it unimaginable dangers, creatures, and unexplainable death.
John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis had both already established themselves as two of the biggest names in the horror genre, but 1980’s The Fog gave the director and actress another opportunity to improve their already stellar reputations. Curtis’ portrayal of a mysterious and capable hitchhiker named Elizabeth is the stuff of legend and is up there with her other best horror roles.
Rent The Fog on Amazon.
Get it on 4K UHD on Amazon.
Blue Steel (1990)
Rookie NYPD officer Megan Turner’s (Jamie Lee Curtis) life is turned upside-down when she shoots and kills a robbery suspect only for the criminal’s gun to be lifted from the scene, making it appear as if she killed an unarmed man. When the man who took the gun decides to use it in a string of murders, the young cop’s life becomes all the more complicated and dangerous.
Kathryn Bigelow’s Blue Steel is a movie that doesn’t seem to get mentioned all that much and that’s a crying shame. Curtis, along with Clancy Brown as NYPD detective Nick Mann, make this a must-watch with their chemistry and ability to lose themselves in their respective roles.
Freaky Friday (2003)
Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) discover they have magically switched bodies after reading a very unusual fortune cookie. As they try to find a way to get back to normal before Tess’ wedding and Anna’s battle of the bands audition, the two are forced to act like each other for a day.
Mark Waters’ 2003 remake of the Disney classic Freaky Friday has a great concept and even better execution by the two leads who were put up to the task of playing two characters throughout the movie. Curtis is especially great as a middle-aged mom of two acting like an unruly teenager acting like a successful therapist. With Freaky Friday 2 in the works, now’s the perfect time to revisit this early 2000s classic.
Stream Freaky Friday on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Freaky Friday on Amazon.
Get it on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Road Games (1981)
Truck driver Pat Quid (Stacy Keach) and young hitchhiker Pamela (Jamie Lee Curtis) find themselves in a race for survival as they become the targets of a vicious serial killer in the Australian Outback.
Directed by Richard Franklin, the 1981 thriller Road Games is a low-key yet high-stakes cat-and-mouse game that is made all the more terrifying by the mystery surrounding the deadly serial killer (Grant Page) as he toys with Pat and Pamela on lonely stretches of highway. Curtis is especially strong (despite having only a few acting credits) while also trying something new with less horror and more anxiety-inducing thrills.
Stream Road Games on Peacock.
Stream Road Games on Prime Video.
Rent/Buy Road Games on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Even though Jamie Lee Curtis could just rest on her laurels and enjoy some peace and quiet, it doesn’t appear she will, as she’s set to appear in some of the biggest upcoming 2024 movies as well as multiple releases on the 2025 movie schedule.
